The Beginning of a Tradition

First Sheep Dip Program Cover - March 21, 1965

The idea for Sheep Dip began as a fundraiser for the Reno Ad Club in 1963, when newly elected Ad Club president Allen Dunn was told, "We're broke." Inspired by a visit to the Gridiron Club's political roast in Washington DC, Dunn suggested a similar roast for Reno, and Sheep Dip was born. The first show was written in 1964 and the first performance took place on a Sunday night in March, 1965 in the showroom at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks, where local newsmakers were dipped in our vat of satire. The first show was a one-night reprise of the regular Nugget two-week show starring Allan Sherman, who appeared in our show.

Photo taken of Bally's sign for 1990 show

From that original one-time event grew a 50-plus year Reno tradition. After many years at the Nugget, Sheep Dip wandered in the desert like the ancient Hebrews, setting up camp variously at Bally's, the Pioneer Theater, the Flamingo Hilton, the Eldorado, back to the Nugget, and once again in the Eldorado showroom for Sheep Dip 53.

While under the auspices of the Reno Ad Club, Sheep Dip set up a foundation to endow a scholarship fund for students attending the Reynold School of Journalism on the advertising track. When the Ad Club merged with Women in Advertising and reorganized as A2N2 in 2000, Sheep Dip was a casualty of that merger. Undaunted, the valiant Dippers formed their own 501(c)(3) charity and continued to entertain the populace, skewer the deserving, and use the proceeds to benefit the community. Elsewhere on this website you can find a list of the local charities to which Sheep Dip has donated over the years. The total is approaching half a million dollars between scholarships and charitable giving.

The Shaft Girls

Members of Sheep Dip's cast and crew were Reno Ad Club members in the beginning, but the troupe has expanded to include a broad spectrum of the community over the years. Folks who are doctors, nurses, police and fire personnel, media members, butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers in their regular lives come together once a year to create and perform a satirical review of the past year in Nevada. Anyone who wants to join our merry band of miscreants is welcome. You don't need to have talent (if you've ever seen the show, this should be fairly obvious). All you need is enthusiasm and a desire to make our community better. Just click on the Contact tab and send us an email. Don't have the time inclination to be in the show? That's OK. Buy a ticket and come laugh with us and help us help our community. Be there at Sheep Dip 54 on January 12/13, 2018 in the Eldorado showroom. You'll be glad you did!

We Welcome Anybody

In the past 53-years Sheep Dip has donated more than $453,000 to community charitable organizations.

Organizations Sheep Dip has supported

Come Join Us!

Please support Sheep Dip Inc. so we can help support local charities.

Sheep Dip uses PayPal to handle the transaction but you DO NOT need to have a PayPal account.